First year, a new beginning
by sapphire granger
Summary: First year for james and company. .
1. Chapter 1

"Stop it!, I'm getting so, so sick of that. Petreficus Totalus!" With that and a soft laughter, Lily Evans sat back on the seat and took out a muggle book to read. Little Women, the book title read. Meanwhile, all around her was laughter. "You deserved it James, fancy calling her names just because she's a muggle. Since when did you start looking down on muggles anyway?" Sirius Black asked James Potter after a long series of uncontrollable laughter. "Yeah, what makes you think she wouldn't know some nice hex for people who decide to pick on her?" Sarcasm was obvious in what Remus Lupin said. "Hey! I did NOT pick on her because she was a muggle. Wait, what did I just say?! Pick on her? I did not do that! I was but just admiring that lovely length of hair upon her head, that's picking on her?!" James Potter's confused reply came. "And will someone get the anti-spell for this hex?" "BOYS! Quiet please, thank you." When they abide for fear of more hexes, and a squeak escaped from the mouth of Peter Pettigrew, a tag-along.  
  
"First years, over here!" A small but stern looking man shouted over. The first years that have just arrived swarmed towards him, not one knew what were they suppose to do, what is better than following instructions? Three resonance loud knocks on the magnificently decorated door brought the first- years to a teacher, Minerva Mcgonagall who looked like the typical discipline teacher one might find in today's muggle schools.  
  
"The sorting will begin in a few moments, wait here patiently till I return to lead you to the Great Hall, meanwhile, please tidy yourselves up." She pointedly looked at James' unruly mope of hair with a glare that said volumes of disapproval.  
  
Professor Mcgonagall soon returned and brought them out to the Great Hall amidst the whispers of fear. When they went out to the hall, an old and tattered hat was on a low stool. Most students thought that was that what they needed to fight, and a mix of relieve and fear could be heard. They got a shock when the hat ripped open, and started to sing. (Authors note: I am not good at writing poems, so I skipped this part) It turned out all they had to do was to put on that hat and it would sort them into their houses, the sigh of relieve was clearly audible. Mcgonagall started calling out names from a piece of long parchment that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Acret, Gwendoline became the first Gryffindor, while Adept, Sollery became the first Ravenclaw. Soon everyone was sorted into his or her respective houses. Lily, James, Sirius and Remus all became Gryffindors while Peter became a Slytherin. James, Sirius and Remus were shocked that Peter went to Slytherin and could not think of why the hat had done so, Peter had none of the cunningness and ambitiousness needed to be in that house. However, they did not really mind for certain and obvious reasons. After the most amazing feast few had experienced before, they went to their respective towers, the password for Gryffindor was "igglewig". As all went to their dormitories, and wash up, soon all were fast asleep after all the excitement of the day.  
  
Author's note: I've posted this story some time ago, it's been awhile, and I'd taken it down a few days ago. This is a rewritten version, and personally, I think, improved. Please R & R. thanks. 


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: This is the revamped version of chapter 2. the marauding 4 is made here.and the 1st prank of the story! R & R please~ thanks~  
  
Disclaimer: Everything that you recognize in the story belongs to the wonderful author, Joanna Kathleen Rowling; she is the best, ok.  
  
The Marauding Four  
  
A week has passed since they were initiated into Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lessons had fully started, and the professors have all stopped cutting the "babies" of the school some slack as they did when the first-years had just come in. And it was not soon before the students felt that things were just getting a tad boring.  
  
"Jamesy dear, do you not feel that our lessons, as interesting as they are.are just, getting.a little boring. Is it not payback time for the Slytherins? For the time Snape and Lucius tried to put a hex on our fellow Gryffindor. They failed, certainly, but isn't the thought that counts?" Sirius said with an evil glint in his eyes while patting James' back.  
  
"Of course, my friend, it is time." Catching on quickly, James replied with a glint that equaled Sirius'.  
  
"Oh dear, is this how we're going to end spending our weekend this week?" Remus groaned outwardly.  
  
"How else then?" The two replied simultaneously.  
  
"Fine then, but then the question arrives, muggle or magic?"  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Three boys could be seen visibly gobbling down their food during lunchtime the next day, making one wonder when the last time was they ate. In just five minutes, the three was seen trying to run inconspicuously out of the Great Hall, but failing miserably.  
  
"Igglewig!" James practically shouted in the rush they were in, and they sure were in a rush if they wanted the prank to be done by the double period of potions in 2 hours time. They then ran to the dormitory shared by all the boys of Gryffindor in the first year, straight to Remus' bed, as Sirius did a levitating spell that his father had taught him, his dad had said that it would come in useful, and it certainly did. There beneath the bed was a packet of white powder (do not think funny). James then cast a spell that they had searched for, the night before, a spell that either speeds up or delays the effect of something, this time, the spell was made to delay the effect by 2 hours.  
  
"Let's hurry down! We don't want to miss the desert." Sirius shouted as he ran down the steps, and winked as he turned to face them for a split second.  
  
"The enthusiasm, why is it we've never seen it during lessons, especially when the professors ask for volunteers?" Came the ironic answer of Remus to James. S soft chuckle escaped James. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: here is chapter 3! Continuation of the would-be prank in chapter 2! R&R!  
  
"Remember the way to the kitchens?" Remus asked anxiously as they got out of the common room through the pink lady's portrait. They had found the way by accident while they spent the nights of the previous week by exploring the school, and found out that the house elves were especially helpful whenever they visited. This proves to be an important factor in the many pranks that are but waiting to be played.  
  
"Of course! How can I forget?" Sirius firm reply returned from affront. "I mean, they serve food there, right?"  
  
"A very good point, 20 points to Gryffindor for pointing that amazing new fact out." A snort could be heard when that was said.  
  
A giggle escaped the pear in the portrait when Sirius gave an impatient tickle to it. The door slid open, and half the population of the house elves swarm towards them, as compared to the usual of all of them swarming up as some were still attending to the lunch the school is having upstairs. James then made a show of asking the elves for a certain recipe while Remus was to groan about missing his desert, causing more house elves to bring food to right under his nose, literally. Sirius then sneaked off quietly, and for once, succeeding, to right under the Slytherins' table, using a spell to locate all the seats of the First-year Slytherins. He just sprinkled a little of the powder into each bowl, suppressing laughter with each sprinkle, then ran right back to James, no more of the inconspicuous movement needed, he was bursting with laughter. Finally, when Remus decided that he had had enough of desert for lunch, he announced loudly that he has had enough, a very big thanks to all the house elves, only met by blushing elves. James then herded Sirius out of the kitchens, the moment the portrait swung shut, Sirius' laughter could be heard miles away.  
  
"Is it that funny?" James could not hold back that question any longer.  
  
"Actually." A long pause followed, as Sirius tried to stop his own laughter. "Yah! It is." More laughter continued. Remus made a noise between a chuckle and a sigh, seemingly unable to decide which would be more appropriate, and just decides to do both then.  
  
It was Charms right after lunch. Carrying their books, they shuffled into class, only to be shocked when all the tables and chairs were missing in their usual neat rows, only to be replaced by fluffy pink and blue pillows.  
  
"Oooh, levitating spell today, it seems, fascinating." Lily's voice could be heard.  
  
"Was that the levitating spell I heard? I might just best Lily at Charms for once."  
  
"Yeah, you might, but probably not, as long as you have known the spell, Lily's wand specializes in charm work, she picks things up fast, especially Charms, and she probably already knows the spell seeing her reaction just now." Remus was quick to burst Sirius' bubble of hope.  
  
"Won't you even let me have a minute of hope?" He groaned in reply.  
  
"The higher your hope, the lower your fall, it's all for your own good."  
  
"You sure make it sound so nice." Sirius' grumbling reply ended the conversation as Professor Elena (yes, it is her last name) stepped in.  
  
Tall and pretty would sum up how she looks, always wearing pastel colors robes, she sure is popular with the students. She comes across as one who is a little on the happy-go-lucky side, always on the ready to give out house points if the students prove to deserve it, and a little reluctant when it comes to deducting points, rule breakers sure loves her. (^.^)  
  
(A.N: enough with the description.back to the story)  
  
"Today, we will be doing the levitating spell, as we do have some students who are rather prone to accidents," A soft hiccough at this point. "I have arranged for pillows to be used instead, and to students who are able to show me that they have no problem doing the levitating spell, they may try the banishing spell." With this opening, she showed them the way to do the spell, with some fancy wave of hand, and the correct way of pronouncing the spell (levita (insert object name here) pillow).  
  
As good as Sirius was at at this spell, he was still a tad slower than Lily to approach Professor Elena to seek permission to practice the banishing spell, thus yet again, proving Remus right. An hour passed by very quickly, yet there still is an hour of transfiguration before the long awaited lesson. The next hour's lesson was to be taken with the Ravenclaw, and after the startling introduction to transfiguration by Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, also the discipline mistress of the school. The introduction had included the change of the Professor's table to a beautiful peacock, a promise to show them her animagus as soon as the Ministry of Magic approved it, and a very strict speech on how they will be barred from ever taking transfiguration in Hogwarts if any hanky panky is played in her class.  
  
"Today we'll still be doing minor transfiguration, in fact, we won't be doing any major transfiguration like the one you saw me doing on the first day on lesson until you are of age, a gauge of year 3 would suffice, unless, of course, you prove me wrong by being able by the end of year 2. A chicken feather is placed on each of your tables; you are to transfigure that into a peacock feather, students who are able to complete that before end of lesson may start on your homework for today, only if your feather pleases me. You may start."  
  
"More fancy wand work, yet harder than charms." Lily concluded glumly to Calin, her best friend, who chuckled at that statement. Unlike Lily, she was better at Transfiguration than Charms, in fact, the best, only second to James, who had not just transfigured the feather, but decorated it as well, earning 20 points to Gryffindor from a very pleased Professor Mcgonagall.  
  
The long awaited hour has finally arrived! Sirius gave a loud whoop when the bell rang signifying the end on the lesson.  
  
"Is my lesson that horrible, Mr. Black?" Professor Mcgonagall gave Sirius a bleak look as she asked.  
  
"No ma'am, certainly not, but I wish to learn how to brew fame and stopper death." Sirius' reply stunned Professor Mcgonagall and caused many to laugh at the statement when they realized that it had come from the opening speech of Professor Bimp, the potions master.  
  
"Go then, my next class is waiting outside, go and learn how to brew fame and stopper death." The class laughed uproariously at this statement, and left.  
  
As the Gryffindors walked into the solemn dungeons where their potions lesson was held, an eager smile could be seen plastered upon Sirius' face, while James looks as solemn as it can be, though a little forced. Lily saw through all that and whispered to Calin.  
  
"They're up to no good. Look at their face, "mischief" written all over it." A smile then lit up Calin's face, making her look very pretty.  
  
"Good, lessons have been too boring for any good learning."  
  
Five minutes into the lesson, right before they lit up the fire to boil their potions in, the Slytherins started falling out of their chairs, all seemingly torn between laughing and crying. Cauldrons were falling over as the Slytherins kicked them by accident and soon, the room was in chaos. "It hurt too much to laugh," that was what they would have replied if you asked them about it, and they meant it literally. The powder that was in their desert was taking effect, right on time.  
  
Professor Bimp saw that there was no way how the lesson could go on, but instead sent the Slytherins to the hospital wing but not before deducting points from her own house as there is a possibility of it all being an excuse to get out of class. She then sent the Gryffindors back to their common rooms, releasing them early.  
  
Once out of the class, Sirius, James, Remus exploded with laughter, it was too much for even Remus to hold back any longer. A smirk played across Calin's face, while Lily settled for a knowing smile. Even that was too much for the three boys, they knew one thing, they knew.  
  
"How could they know? Haven't we been subtle enough?" Sirius burst when they were out onto the outside grounds of Hogwarts.  
  
"We have, just not you." Came Remus amused reply.  
  
"Yeah, anything." Sirius was too happy to care.  
  
End! Finally. I think I dragged this story on for too long, let me know if I did. It seems excessively long. Anyway.please R&R.all the readers ignore me when I say that.-.-'' 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Here is chapter 4, half done during physics lesson earlier today.=X.anywayz.please, please, R&R!  
  
The taste of victory quickly wore off, and as much as they tried to prolong it, it did not last. Very soon, things at Hogwarts were getting boring once again, but what they did not know was that "fun" would manifest itself in a different way.  
  
"Hey, heard of it yet?" Gwendoline hit Sirius' back in the Great Hall, causing Sirius, who had just taken a mouthful of pumpkin juice to sputter everything out in the most unseemly way. Sirius then picked up a napkin to wipe the pumpkin juice off in a vain attempt to regain some form of composure while James, who had witness the whole scene with amused eyes, then asked, "Heard about?"  
  
"Oh, you haven't? I would have expected you to have known, you of all people." Her voice lowered into a mumble. "Never mind then, you will see it anyway." She then said in that crystal clear voice of hers, meeting annoyed looks of James and Sirius'. "Where's Remus?" She asked when she noticed that the usual quiet boy was even more silent, not being in his usual seat, right next to the two of them at all.  
  
"Last I heard, he went to visit his ailing mother." James replied casually.  
  
"Yeah, so, what is happening later?" With his mouth stuffed with food, all that sounded like, was a disgruntled grunt.  
  
"Gwen! We need to get our stuff for Trans!" Came a shout that seemingly come from the other end of the hall.  
  
"Coming!" She shouted in reply, turned to the two and bid them goodbye, then gave them a wink and a knowing look that infuriated them.  
  
"Why does she know something that WE don't?" James voiced out the thought that both shared.  
  
"Well, we can wait to find out or." Sirius gave his what will be later known be as his infamous evil glint.  
  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" James replied with an evil glint of his own, catching up very quickly.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey! Sollery, right? The twin brother of.uh.Adept?" Sirius asked as he grabbed the first first-year Gryffindor that walked past.  
  
"Uh.yes." Fear could be heard, and seen as he tries to put distance between Sirius and himself as much as possible, though limited by Sirius' hand on his robes.  
  
"I'm not going to eat you, don't worry, you're too skinny anyway." Sirius started assuring him, though could not but help, teases him a little.  
  
"All I want to do though is to ask a question. What exactly is happening later?"  
  
"What? You don't know? You're kidding me." Fear seeped away with the realization.  
  
"Why the hell would I be asking if I knew? Would you please not point out the obvious?" Sirius' irritated reply was accompanied by a menacing look.  
  
"Oh, but if you don't know, it means you are not suppose to know until it happens!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Sirius' face contorted into fury.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh.yah. We're under an oath of silence." Fear was once again upon his face. (Sirius is scary.-.-'')  
  
"Let him go, lessons starting soon, he needs to get his books, and so do we." James then casually said to Sirius, he could not bear to see the boy who was though the same age as Sirius, was of a smaller size, and it seemed as if he was being terrorized.  
  
"Okay, one last question, when is it going to happen?" Sirius answered James and returned his attention to Sollery.  
  
"Potions, of course." Calmness had settled in when he realized that he was not in any immediate danger from the bigger boy.  
  
Sirius then let go of the boy, who ran off immediately in the direction of the common room that they later followed. They took their time to get their things for the next lesson of the day, Transfiguration, until James who looked at his watch, said that they were going to be late. (A short introduction on the watch) It is not of the same as the usual Magic watch that tells of where the family members, friends, etc. are as custom-made, but instead, tells of where the owner should be at the specific time. It was a birthday gift from his father, along with the (well-known) invisibility cloak from his mother. That was on his eleventh birthday, the day that he had received his letter from Hogwarts, the joy he experienced then was beyond description.  
  
After dumping their books and homework (two feet long parchment on history of transfiguration, Mcgonagall had said it was the foundation to learning transfiguration, and unless it was well done, the student will be excused to do the practical things in class, and to stay for detention with her after school) into their bags which have been cast with the spell of auto- tidy. It rearranges the books and parchments in the order of lessons that were on today. They ran off to the class of transfiguration, professor Mcgonagall is known to not take kindly to late students, even if by just a minute.  
  
"Phew! Just in time." James let out a sigh of relief when they had reached the classroom before Mcgonagall arrived.  
  
"James Potter. You are late." Professor Mcgonagall's voice rang out in the silence of the classroom.  
  
James turned around in shock, where was she? Ah, there. Where did she come from?! Oh no! Not from that door at that corner. Detention it shall be.  
  
"Seeing that it's your first offence, and that you are but late by just one minute, I'll let you off with just deducting five points from Gryffindor. Yes, Mister Potter, from my own house." Mcgonagall had said it all with a stern face that said she meant business, however, her words hid some gentleness.  
  
"She's bias! Just because he's her best student." Mumbles could be heard going round the class, and Mcgonagall heard it.  
  
"If any of you have a problem with what I've just said, please come right up to the front of the class and demonstrate the transfiguration of the needle into a beetle." The class shushed at these words, most did not know how to, and those that knew, could not be bothered.  
  
"So, if you do not have a problem with it, we may proceed with the lesson?" She then explained the correct way to pronounce the incantation, and the fancy wand work, as Lily puts it.  
  
"There!" The beetle was crawling from James' table to Sirius' table.  
  
"Well done, Mister Potter. 10 points for efficiency and excellence." Mcgonagall's attention was drawn towards James Potter's table when he exclaimed. With that, James earned five points for Gryffindor in total during Transfiguration, after the deduction, then the addition of points, and the lesson ended.  
  
It was Potions right after transfiguration (they have a knack of putting Potions right after Trans, no idea why.=P), and as they get seated down in the dungeons, James and Sirius were on their toes, figuratively, on the look out for any possible happenings. Soon, James poked Sirius on his back, and then diverted his attention towards the entrance of the dungeons, where the Slytherins were sitting as they had arrived later. Objects of similar shape and color of dung bomb were rolling in from the entrance, all inconspicuous and all.  
  
"Those are not dung bombs. They are.dung bombs look alike!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly, earning glares from fellow Gryffindors who knew what was going to happen next.  
  
Suddenly, the dung bombs look alike exploded, in a silent and unostentatious way, only visible to people who are looking out for them, namely, the Gryffindors. Professor Bimp entered the class at this point, glaring at the Slytherins mercilessly, she remembered yesterday, and had news from Madam Plaus, current nurse of the hospital wing.  
  
"I could not find anything wrong with your students, and thus couldn't do anything to help them. My apologies." She had said curtly, never being on good terms with Professor Bimp, having been mildly afraid of the potion- brewing skill that Professor Bimp possess.  
  
She still fumes at this thought, nothing wrong, yet they caused me to end class before I have even started, my own house's students at that. I will teach them what it is like to mess with me.  
  
Yet before she could do anything, the Slytherin half of the class started complaining of a foul smell erupting, but the Gryffindors then requests for the continuation of lesson, and that the Slytherins were interrupting the lesson. Shouts that suggest chasing the Slytherins out of the class, deduct points and such were heard, seemingly to prove their thirst for knowledge. Professor Bimp was rather tempted to accept such suggestions, though she privately thought that as much as those suggestions were good, they were rather harsh.  
  
Finally, she settled on, once again releasing the students early, and deducting points harshly from Slytherin, causing the Slytherins to groan and then choked due to the mephitic fumes. Professor Bimp gave an inward groan. (Gave, inward? =P)  
  
Gryffindors once again get released early, thanks to the ingenuity of.(A.N: Not telling! =P)  
  
End! Finally.this is even longer than chapter 3, bear with me. ^.^ 


End file.
